For the Public

For the Public

For patients and their families

Researches on Diseases

The following answers are based on information available as of October, 2015.

Does CiRA make iPS cells using cells from patients?

Yes, since receiving approval from our institutional review board in June 2008, the laboratory of CiRA Deputy Director Tatsutoshi Nakahata has begun generating and conducting research on disease-specific iPS cells.
The research plan involves the derivation of iPS cells from somatic cells contributed by patients suffering from diseases including Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Fanconi’s anemia.
CiRA labs have generated iPS cells from patients with other diseases, and some of them have been distributed to other research institutes through RIKEN BioResource Center.

What type of research will be done with patient-derived iPS cells?

iPS cells generated from somatic cells donated by patients can be induced to differentiate into cell types of interest,
which may make it possible to recreate disease states in vitro, enabling the study of disease mechanisms.
Such cells may also be useful in studying drug efficacy and side effects, which may contribute to the development of new drugs.

Are there other research institutions apart from Kyoto University that are engaged in research based on generating iPS cells from patient cells?

Yes, at research institutions in and outside Japan, research using disease-specific iPS cells is in progress with the cooperation of patients.
In Japan, publicly sponsored iPS cell-related projects are ongoing, with the participating research institutions engaged in wide-ranging studies.

Donation of cells

The following answers are based on information available as of October, 2015.

I would like to contribute to medical research by donating my own cells for use in generating iPS cells. Is it possible to have my cells harvested for this purpose?

At Kyoto University, we have identified a number of patients whose cells may be useful for iPS cell research, and after receiving their consent, have been able to generate a number of valuable iPS cell lines.
At present, however, this research remains at an early stage, and we currently receive more offers to donate cells than we can accommodate. For this reason, while we are grateful for the interest and support,
it is not now possible to generate iPS cells from all those who wish to volunteer.

Clinical Researches

The following answers are based on information available as of October, 2015.

I have seen on the Internet that there are medical institutions that carry out treatment using iPS cells and other stem cells. Are there any safety issues?

iPS cells are still at the research stage, and there are no medical institutions giving treatment using iPS cells for any disease, except the clinical research on age-related macular degeneration.
Likewise, there are no medical institutions in Japan carrying out treatment using ES cells.

However, there is development of new therapies in progress using somatic stem cells. Unlike iPS cells and ES cells,
these stem cells are naturally present in the human body but can differentiate only into a limited range of cell types. For instance,
blood stem cells can differentiate only into blood cells. In addition, the number of cells that can be sampled is small.
For these and other reasons, they are not likely to have therapeutic effect across the whole range of disease.

Some websites and publications do use language that suggests therapeutic benefit, and there are some medical institutions in Japan and overseas that use what they call somatic stem cells in injections and drip infusions.
The therapeutic effect and safety of such treatments are often poorly supported by scientific papers or data, however. Furthermore, these organizations offer almost no information about safety control and patient protection.
Because of this, the Japan Society for Regenerative Medicine (see link below) has called for caution regarding inappropriate stem cell therapy.
When considering a consultation for stem cell therapy, patients are advised to confirm that the treatment’s safety has been scientifically demonstrated and approved by an official body.

Meanwhile, the International Society of Stem Cell Research has produced a Patient Handbook on Stem Cell Therapies that deals with frequently asked questions about stem cells and stem cell therapies (see link below).
The handbook, which can be downloaded as a PDF from the Society’s website, offers an essential minimum checklist of items that should be confirmed by people considering stem cell therapy.
Patients are recommended to refer to it.

In Japan, a law on safety control in regenerative medicine and related therapies was enacted in November 2013 as part of ongoing moves to put in place a legal framework to safeguard stem cell-based treatment.

When will cell transplantation therapy using iPS cells become a reality?

When the safety and therapeutic effect of iPS cells have been confirmed, we will seek the cooperation of patients to proceed to clinical research.
In fact, clinical research for age-related macular degeneration has already begun, as a patient has received a transplant of retinal cells derived from iPS cells.
However, in order to offer cell transplantation therapy widely, large-scale cell processing technologies and treatment facilities are needed.
These demands require cooperation with industry and hospitals, which makes it difficult to forecast a date for wide medical application.

In June 2009, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced its iPS Cell Research Roadmap (updated November 2015).
This document sets target years for realizing iPS cell-based clinical research for specific diseases. However, only the science will dictate when this clinical research is available.